


Berena Advent Ficlets

by tebarambles



Category: Holby City
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Berena Advent 2018, Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, F/F, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-06 06:21:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16826911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tebarambles/pseuds/tebarambles
Summary: A collection of short one-shots for Berena Advent 2018





	1. Gift Wrapping

“Why exactly are you rummaging through the cabinet at this ungodly hour?”

Bernie startles. She hadn’t noticed Serena sneaking up on her, too engrossed in her current mission to choose the right paper for Serena’s presents. She inwardly curses herself for being too noisy, apparently - and for putting off the dreaded wrapping until last minute, quite literally. It is Christmas Eve, close to midnight, and she had hoped that a marathon of Christmas classics on the telly and a few cups of mulled cider might lull Serena enough so that she wouldn’t notice Bernie’s absence for a while. Alas, no such luck.

Unfortunately, her involuntary movements jolt the pile of wrapping paper rolls she had been trying to stuff back into cabinet. In a futile attempt to catch the slipping rolls while simultaneously trying to keep another stack from following suit, she loses her balance.

The next second she finds herself in a rather undignified position on the floor, buried under layers of gift wrap and assorted ribbons. “That- ouch! That’s not for you to know right now,” Bernie huffs. “And what do you need, what, 35 different rolls of wrapping paper for, anyway?”

“They are all very pretty,” Serena protests with mock indignation, “you of all people should know that I am very fond of pretty things.”

Bernie groans at the cheesy line and tries to get up, but her back has been playing up all week. “Give an old lady a leg-up, will you?” Serena dutifully offers her right hand and pulls Bernie onto her feet.

“And aren’t you lucky that I have a thing for old ladies as well,” Serena smirks. “Besides,” she lifts a well-sculpted eyebrow (her right one, the one that does things to Bernie), “I seem to recall that you’re actually quite fond of nice wrapping and... ribbons. Red satin’s still your favourite? I might have something new to show you.”

“Why, Mrs Wolfe, you make some compelling arguments I must say,” Bernie retorts and pulls Serena close. For a moment the Grand Fiasco of Gift Wrap Mountain is forgotten. All she wants to do right now is kiss her wife and get her hands underneath that ridiculous Christmas jumper. So she leans in - only for Serena to take a step back, making Bernie blink in confusion at the sudden loss of contact.

“I suggest you clean up this mess, Major. I’ll warm the bed for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea where this came from because it is most definitely not based on real life events *ducks away*


	2. Carol Singing

Every person who spends more than half an hour in the same car as Berenice Wolfe is bound to find out that the Major couldn’t even sing on key if her life depended on it.

It is not her voice per se that is the issue. There is just always something ever so slightly off-kilter - a weird little pitch here, a slightly wrong rhythm there. And where contemporary pop songs are concerned, she tends to get the lyrics mixed up. _A lot._ But that doesn’t stop Bernie from happily singing along to everything the radio has to offer, much to the amusement of her extended family. Even Jason has stopped tutting at her antics and decided to file them away under _Quirks that make Auntie Bernie even more adorable, apparently._

However, these sing-alongs are strictly private. Bernie would never participate in any activity that requires public performance. Of course, Serena is all too aware of that. So it is with no small amount of dread that she approaches Bernie in their office to inform her that the auditions for this year’s _Holby City Hospital Carolathon_ have been made mandatory for all staff.

The reaction she gets is far from surprising - Bernie momentarily freezes and does her best deer-in-the-headlights-impression before she visibly bristles and hisses “over my dead body!”

Serena know better than to try and placate her; instead she stays silent and watches as Bernie wrings her hands, clearly searching for the right words. She settles for “and whose bloody brilliant idea was that?”, not bothering to conceal her irritation.

“I’m not entirely sure,” Serena hastens to reply, “but apparently the decision was made in response to last year’s admittedly poor attendance”.

“There’s no way I’m going to do this. I’ll say I have a cold. Or I’ll lock myself in here…” Bernie is pacing now, talking to herself rather than her partner.

Serena moves across the room and takes Bernie’s still fidgeting hands in her own in an effort to soothe her. “It’s only one audition in front of your AAU colleagues. I promise I’ll make sure that no nosy Griffins or Fletchers get into the staff room if that’s what bothers you. And don’t forget that I have to do this as well. We’re in this together, darling.”

“It is different, Serena. You’re a born entertainer. I hate being in the spotlight. I’m very aware of how I sound when we sing in the car. But that is just silly fun between us and our family. It’ll be much worse in front of others.” Bernie’s voice has lost its petulance but she still sounds rather anxious.

Serena decides that this isn’t the right moment for a quip along the lines of “Come on, if you suck we won’t pick you anyway.” Instead she reverts to a tactic that has never failed her so far: she wraps her arms around Bernie’s neck, ghosts a kiss over her lips and whispers “please, do it for me?”

Bernie groans in defeat, she knows a lost battle when she sees one. “You’re not playing fair! Well, I suppose I don’t really have a choice anyway, do I? But I’ll only do it on the condition that I’ll be the last one to audition and I don’t have to if there are already enough people to join the group. Oh, and I want to have a say in the choice of carols as well.”

“Deal,” Serena concedes and winks as she reaches out her right hand for Bernie to shake in mock formality.

***

Three days later Bernie and Serena find themselves in the staff room with a handful of nurses and porters. The shift has been relatively quiet so far, so they have decided to have another audition, the final one. It soon becomes clear that yet again the majority of the present staff are much better suited for the NHS than any talent show - Donna, Serena and a new porter named Kenneth being the honourable exceptions.

Finally, it is Bernie’s turn. Serena can see that Bernie is uncharacteristically nervous and smiles encouragingly at her. She realises that she needn’t have bothered, though. _God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen_ is a slightly unusual choice for a mezzo-soprano, but Bernie’s soft rendition has her audience stunned. Serena had not expected that at all.

When she has finally managed to pick her chin up from the floor, she clears her throat and addresses the room. “Wow, that was… quite the finale. Right, I think we’re done for to day. Now let’s get back to work and make sure that the ward has not been burned to the ground in the meantime. We’ll let you know about our choices for the choir in a few days.”

As soon as their colleagues have left she turns around and fixes Bernie with an appraising stare. She isn’t sure what she is supposed to think. “Bernie, that was… wow. You _can_ actually sing! But... why would you lie about this to us - to _me_?”

Bernie blushes, doesn’t meet her eye. “Well, I didn’t exactly lie. Just omitted the truth a bit. As you know, I went to a boarding school. It was a very traditional all-girls school and attending the choir was pretty much mandatory. I wasn’t passionate about singing but I was really good at it. So every year my darling mother and the choirmaster would team up and talk me into singing solos. And every year I was so nervous that I almost passed out. I didn’t lie when I said I hate being in the spotlight.”

“But why the pretence?” Serena still can’t quite understand why her girlfriend would hide this talent from her.

“When I finished school, I knew I was finally done with singing on stages. I met new people who didn’t know about this part of my life And I figured if I let people believe that I’m tone deaf they wouldn’t bother trying to rope me into ludicrous music projects. It works well enough with pop songs. To be honest, I had actually planned to mess up today. But somehow… I couldn’t,” she shrugs.

Serena smirks at her. “You do realise that there’s no way I'm going to let you off the hook now, don’t you? Don’t look at me like that. We’ll do great together. And no solos, I promise.”

***

After two weeks of practice in between shifts, their little AAU-choir is ready to perform.

And every person who has ever spent more than half an hour in the same car as Berenice Wolfe is about to find out that she is a bloody good actress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't be able to write ficlets for every prompt because uni and work keep me very busy at the moment.  
> I also haven't written proper fanfiction for more than six years and that makes me feel like I need to find my feet again.


	3. Mistletoe and Hospital Kisses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For today's fic I decided to combine the prompts for Day 6 (Mistletoe) and Day 10 (Hospital Kisses)  
> I also decided to turn it into a Harry Potter AU, because why not.

“Fletch, it’ll be fine. There really is no need to get him transferred to St. Mungo’s for this. All we can do now is wait for the potion to start working its magic.” Serena chuckled at her own silly pun, trying to make light of the situation.

In reality, she was both worried and exhausted. As if the day on MAD, Holby City’s very own Magic-related Accidents Department, hadn’t been stressful enough already, with an increased influx of patients due to a variety of seasonal spells gone wrong. Now she had to deal with the outcome of another one of Mikey Fletcher’s shenanigans on top of that. Though this time it wasn’t even intentional, to be fair.

Earlier that day Fletch had noticed that his son was burning up a fever. When he stated that Mikey clearly wasn’t fit to go to his Gobstones team’s Christmas do, the young Metamorphmagus had protested that he was perfectly fine and tried to prove his point by growing a pair of festive reindeer antlers on his forehead. “For the ladies,” he had added with a cheeky grin, causing Fletch to roll his eyes. However, in his fuzzy-brained state Mikey hadn’t been able to focus properly and ended up with an antelope’s head instead. And he had found that he wasn’t able to shift back into his human form, probably a side effect of his fever.

Fletch sighed, “I know you’re right, boss. I’m just so worried about him. He’s finally growing confident about his abilities and now this happened. And the fever doesn’t seem normal to me, either.”

“Really, Fletch, there is nothing we can do now beyond wait and see. Maybe you should try to get some rest. I’ll alert you as soon as we notice any changes”, Serena petted his shoulder and turned around in order to attend the next patient.

***

Roughly an hour later Serena was washing her hands when she noticed something odd in the mirror: right above her head there was a mistletoe hovering in midair. She knew that the porters had been setting up the Christmas decorations today, including attaching mistletoe to every ceiling available. But in the loo? As she moved, she realised that it was following her. Well, maybe she had gotten in the way of a spell when she crossed the ward. She pulled out her wand.

 _“Evanesco!”_ Her attempt to vanish the offending plant remained futile. “Not an accident then,” Serena sighed in exasperation. It was going to be a long shift.

***

“So you still haven’t managed to get rid of the pesky parasite yet?” Fleur asked nonchalantly when they met for a coffee later in the day.

”What? Oh, you mean the mistletoe. I don’t know… one could say it’s starting to grow on me.” Serena raised a sardonic eyebrow, “I’m running out of ideas how to find out the culprit. My first thought was Mikey Fletcher, but that’s impossible, given the state that he’s still in - I almost feel sorry for him. Same goes for Fletch, he’s worried sick. The problem is, it could be anybody. The staff are all too naughty for their own good.”

She fixed Fleur with a contemplative stare. “You would tell me if you knew anything, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course I would, darling. But right now I have to get back to my ward. There’s a very pregnant Veela up there waiting for me and she’s not only devastatingly pretty but also rather intimidating. Better not keep her waiting.” And off Fleur went, leaving Serena to her own thoughts.

When she had finished her coffee, she decided to head for her office in order to get some paperwork done while the ward was relatively quiet. Who knew how long that would last?

***

Upon entering the office Serena walked straight into Bernie Wolfe who had chosen this exact moment to start another ward round. The impact of their collision sent her stumbling but strong arms managed to catch her before she could fall.

“Merlin, Serena! I’m so sorry. I just didn’t see you there. Did I hurt you?”

Sereny blushed and didn’t meet Bernie’s eyes. “No harm done, you just caught me off-guard. I think you can let go of me now.”

“Right, of course, sorry.” Bernie awkwardly disentangled herself from their half-embrace and self-consciously brushed a hand through her messy hair. “I’m glad you’re alright. Well, I should probably go before I accidentally knock you out, ha.”

Realising what she had just said, Bernie swiftly turned around and jogged in the direction of the ward entrance. As soon as she was out of sight she stopped and banged her head against the wall. _What on earth had possessed her to say that?_

***

Serena stood in her office, absentmindedly staring at the door that had just closed behind Bernie. The woman had been working as a medical advisor and field Mediwitch for the Ministry of Magic. Having also trained as an Auror she belonged to the elite of Britain’s Magical Law Enforcement. After barely surviving the ambush of a Dark Arts syndicate, Bernie had been medically discharged and given a job at Holby City Hospital. On MAD, Serena’s ward.

They had immediately clashed, of course. With two Mediwitches of their pedigree on the same ward, arguments were bound to happen. Serena had felt like her superiors were trying to belittle her by placing another Healer of the same rank on her ward. Bernie on the other was struggling to adjust to the slower pace of a civilian hospital. But they had worked it out eventually, had even managed to build a close friendship. The only thing that still unsettled Serena was how devastatingly attractive she found her colleague.

“Now that was odd,” said a voice behind her, making her jump. She turned around to find Ric Griffin sitting in her office chair.

“Oh, Ric! I didn’t see you there. What do you mean, odd?

“That mistletoe of yours. I could swear the berries just changed colour for a second there. When Bernie touched you.”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Ric. How would it do that?” Serena frowned at him, trying to hide the persistent pink tinge on her cheeks.

“I don’t know, magic?”, Ric retorted with a smug grin.

“The shift has been very long, I think your tired brain is making you see things”, Serena tried to deflect him, even though she had noticed it herself. The mistletoe berries’ colour had momentarily changed from their usual silverish hue to an almost glowing rosy gold, accompanied by a warm tingling sensation that spread through her entire body from where Bernie’s hand had rested on her back...

“You know, maybe that’s your solution,” Ric pondered.

”Come again?” Lost in thoughts again, Serena had almost forgotten that Ric was there in the office with her. 

Her colleague looked at her like the cat who got the cream. ”True love’s kiss to free you from a dire curse - you know how the old tales go.” He was having way too much fun with this for Serena’s liking.

“Yeah, right. And how am I supposed to go about it? Kiss every frog this hospital has to offer?” Serena started rummaging for the parchment rolls containing her patient’s data. She really didn’t have time for this conversation now. “What are you doing here anyway?”

Of course, Ric wouldn’t let it go this easily. “Well, you could always start with a certain ex-Auror,” Ric teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Oh, stop it, Griffin,” Serena groaned, once again regretting that she had told him about her infatuation with the woman over a glass or two of Firewhisky. He wasn’t entirely wrong, though. She’d be happy for any reason to kiss Bernie Wolfe.

***

Shaken by the unexpected encounter, Bernie decided that a small break and maybe a fag on the roof was in order. Her wishes for a bit of quiet were short-lived, however, when she heard someone clear their throat behind her. “Let me guess, Serena-troubles?”

She reluctantly turned around to face Dominic Copeland. “Is it that obvious?”

“Oh, come on now. You’ve been mooning over her from the first day you’ve met! What is it?”

When Bernie didn’t answer, Dom decided to press on. “She has no idea, has she? You should talk to her!”

“No, Serena’s stressed out enough as it is and now there’s that rogue mistletoe following her around. Besides, I wouldn’t even know what to say to her. ' _Oh, Serena, I know we’ve only ever met for coffee dates but I like you. A lot'_?” She blushed at the mere thought of having this particular conversation with the other woman. These days she couldn’t even keep up small talk with Serena without feeling like a rambling fool. Talking about feelings was definitely out of the question.

Dom just winked at her. “Well, how about an _‘actions, no words’_ approach, then? Take her into those Big Macho Auror Mediwitch arms, plant one on her and everything shall fall into place. That mistletoe is the perfect excuse if you ask me. Ouch!”

Bernie had affectionately smacked the back of Dom’s head. “You should really stop reading those cheesy Daily Prophet columns”, she scoffed good-naturedly.

“I mean it. The two of you need to talk and get it together. Or rather, get it-” “She’s straight, Dom!”, Bernie interrupted him.

“Is she, though? The way she looks at you doesn’t seem very straight to me… All I know is that it can’t go on like this. And what is there to lose?”

“I don’t know, everything? Dom, she is my best friend. I can’t lose her!” Bernie’s voice had taken on a higher pitch than usual, she was clearly working herself up about this.

“Bollocks!” Dominic replied, “Serena is a great woman who values your friendship very much. Even if she doesn’t reciprocate your feelings - and I doubt that very much - she would never cut you out of her life.”

Bernie fell silent, pondering what Dominic had just said. Was it really worth the risk? Deep down she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep up the charade forever.

“Maybe you’re right… Alright, wish me luck, then!“ Bernie got up from where she hat sat beside Dom and headed downstairs.

***

“Maybe Ric was right, you know,” Fleur whispered as she sidled up next to Serena. “About the mistletoe?”

“Oh no, not you as well!” Serena buried her face in her hands. After the day she had she really wasn’t in the mood to have another conversation on that particular topic.

“Oh, no fun you! I don’t mean that _True Love_ piffle. Maybe the mysterious mistletoe monger just wants you to have a bit of fun over the holidays? How about a little smooch, eh?”

Before Serena could even process what her friend had insinuated, Fleur leaned in and pressed their lips together.

It was over almost as soon as it had happened.

“Pity.”

“What?” Serena frowned.

Fleur motioned for her to look up. “It’s still there. Looks like I’m not the right person for you after all. Right, must dash. See you later at Abie’s?”

Neither of them had acknowledged a certain blonde Healer hovering around the corner, a look of thunder on her face. Serena and Fleur? Bernie's stomach churned, she clearly had missed her chance. She could feel tears well up in her eyes. No, this was not happening. She needed to pull herself together. She needed to...

***

Serena approached the office, ready to pack up her things and head home.

Suddenly she felt a firm grasp on her shoulder, turning her around and pinning her against the wall. "What the… Bernie! What are you doing?"

Bernie felt herself flush in embarrassment, she really should have thought this through.

“I, um… I wanted to- anyway. Nevermind.” _Very smooth, Wolfe_ , she inwardly berated herself.

She let go of Serena, who immediately missed the contact. When Bernie tried to turn around and walk away, Serena grabbed her hand. “Bernie, what is it?”

“Well, I wanted to ask… That is, I’ve seen you. And Fleur. In Pulse’s right now?”

“Oh, that.” Serena didn’t meet her eyes. “Listen, that didn’t -”

“I’m happy for you. Just surprised. Why didn’t you tell me?” Bernie knew she was babbling, but she couldn’t help it. She tried to convince herself that friendship was fine if she couldn’t have Serena. She just needed to get a grip and take back control.

“Listen, there is nothing going on with Fleur. I have my eyes on someone else.” Serena spoke softly, apprehensive of how Bernie might react.

“Oh? And who’s - who would that be?” Bernie tried to play it cool, failing miserably.

The next second she found herself in the same position Serena had been in mere minutes earlier, pressed against the wall. “It is you, you silly thing!” Serena exclaimed before caressing Bernie’s cheeks with her hands and capturing her lips with her own.

They only stopped kissing when they heard a crackling sound above their heads. Looking up, they saw that the mistletoe berries were emitting sparks in every colour of the rainbow and the leaves hat turned into heart-shaped confetti that was raining down upon them.

Serena shook her head at the ridiculousness of the display and pulled Bernie in for another kiss.

***

In the opposite corner of the ward, Fleur and Dom were stood together, watching the scene intently.

“Wow, that was so much more work than I had anticipated. Drinks at Albie’s?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole 'Fleur playing matchmaker' idea is borrowed from one of my favourite fics ever, 'The Fairy Gaymother' (go read it!)  
> KL, I hope you don't mind.


End file.
